Programme Director (14 hours)

Location: London / Remote

Working Hours: Part-time: 14 hours over 2 days - the postholder will need to work on Fridays and either Tuesday or Thursday. Fridays are in person at Anna Freud, London, during term time. Usual working hours are Monday to Friday, 09:00-17:00. Flexible working is possible.

Salary: £64,100 FTE per annum, plus 6% contributory pension scheme

Job Summary: Anna Freud is seeking a permanent, part-time Programme Director – Child Wellbeing Practitioner (CWP) to join our world-leading mental health charity for children, young people and their families. Our mission is to close the gap in wellbeing and mental health by advancing, translating, delivering, and sharing the best science and practice with everyone who impacts the lives of children, young people and their families.

Our EDI commitment: We are dedicated to fostering a diverse and inclusive workplace and being an equal opportunities employer, whereby equity, diversity, and inclusion (EDI) are core to our recruitment practices. All candidates who meet the job criteria will be considered for employment, regardless of ethnic origin, religion or belief, gender, sexual orientation, disability, age, socioeconomic background, caring responsibilities and care experience. We ask candidates to share their diversity dimensions with us to help us identify, tackle and prevent bias across the employee lifecycle. We believe a diverse workforce enhances our ability to support mental health and wellbeing, allowing us to better meet the needs of the children, young people and families we serve. As a Disability Confident employer, disabled candidates meeting our criteria are guaranteed an interview. Applications are submitted anonymously and assessed using a fair evaluation process based on the criteria set out in our job profiles.

What we offer: We offer a range of staff benefits, including an all-in-one rewards and recognition platform called Perkbox and wellbeing offers such as finishing early on Fridays and free counselling through our Employee Assistance Programme. We are proud to have staff-led Diversity Networks offering unique opportunities for learning, connection and impact.

What you’ll do:

• Lead the delivery and continued development of the Child Wellbeing Practitioner programme, ensuring it provides an inclusive, high-quality student experience and meets UCL, BPS and national curriculum standards.
• Lead, review and develop the programme curriculum, teaching and learning content.
• Manage and support the programme team to ensure the course is delivered smoothly and effectively.
• Oversee assessment, marking, quality assurance and compliance with UCL and BPS requirements.
• Monitor trainee progress and experience, ensuring students receive appropriate academic and pastoral support.
• Manage key programme operations, including stakeholder relationships, student recruitment, staffing and the programme budget.

What you’ll bring: The ideal candidate will be an experienced child mental health and higher education professional with the leadership skills to manage an accredited postgraduate programme, support a multidisciplinary team and deliver an inclusive, high-quality learning experience.

• A PhD or professional doctorate in clinical psychology or child mental health, alongside a relevant professional qualification or substantial experience in children’s mental health.
• Experience of curriculum design, teaching, assessment and programme management within a higher education setting.
• Strong knowledge of children and young people’s psychological training programmes, CBT interventions and mental health practice in CAMHS or educational settings.
• Proven experience of leading, managing and supporting staff while balancing competing priorities and programme demands.
• Excellent communication, collaboration and organisational skills, including the ability to manage budgets and maintain the programme’s quality and financial viability.

Key details:

• Hours: Part-time: 14 hours over 2 days - the postholder will need to work on Fridays and either Tuesday or Thursday. Fridays are in person at Anna Freud, London, during term time. Usual working hours are Monday to Friday, 09:00-17:00. Flexible working is possible.
• Salary: £64,100 FTE per annum, plus 6% contributory pension scheme.
• Location: Hybrid (a mixture of home/onsite working): staff are working onsite for at least 20% of their working hours at Anna Freud, 4-8 Rodney Street, London N1 9JH. The postholder will also need to attend in person for any in-person teaching, team meetings as necessary.
• Contract type: Permanent.

Next steps:

• Closing date for applications: midday (12pm), Wednesday, 12 August 2026. Please note that due to high application volumes, we may close this advert early. We encourage you to apply promptly and to keep an eye on our future vacancies for more opportunities.
• Notification of interview: shortlisted applicants will be notified no later than Friday, 14 August 2026. During shortlisting, applicants are anonymously assessed using the criteria visible in the Job Profile. Please note: due to the high volume of applications received, we will not be able to provide feedback to unsuccessful applicants.
• Interviews: will be held week commencing 17 August 2026.

Questions? Please email recruitment@annafreud.org with any job enquiries, or if you require assistance or experience difficulties when applying. Please note that successful candidate(s) will be asked to evidence their Right to Work in the UK post-job offer – we do not hold a sponsor license therefore we are unable to provide Visa sponsorship.